After rescuing two groups of kayakers in the same area within two days, the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office is urging kayakers to avoid part of the Milwaukee River near Manchester Drive in the Town of Grafton.

The sheriff’s office says both groups of kayakers entered the Milwaukee River from Lime Kiln Park in the Village of Grafton and their kayaks overturned in the area of Manchester Drive in the Town of Grafton.

“The kayaks overturned due to rapid water conditions and downed trees in the river causing obstacles that were difficult to navigate. The Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office is urging kayakers to avoid using this stretch of the Milwaukee River until water levels subside and water conditions improve,” officials said.

The first rescue occurred Thursday afternoon when the sheriff’s office received a report of two kayakers — a 49-year-old man and his 16-year-old son — in distress on an island in the Milwaukee River, near Heather Court in the Town of Grafton.

They were kayaking down the river when their kayaks overturned. Both were wearing life jackets and were separated from their kayaks.

Late Saturday morning, the office received a report of kayakers in distress on an island near Manchester Drive, a road that connects with Heather Court. That group included a 38-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and their 2-year-old child.

When their kayaks overturned, the 2-year-old was wearing a life jacket. The adults had life jackets with them but were not wearing them at the time, and the life jackets floated downstream with the kayaks.

In both instances, the kayakers were rescued and brought safely back to shore. Multiple emergency departments responded to the incidents, including the Ozaukee County Drone Team.

One yellow, black and red kayak from the Thursday incident hasn’t been found yet. If you locate it, the sheriff’s office asks that you contact them.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, campaigned for President Joe Biden in Milwaukee this weekend as part of a blitz to mobilize voters and, in Moore’s case, to boost enthusiasm for the president in the Black community.

Moore’s arrival came with a fresh challenge: addressing Biden’s shaky Thursday night debate performance that sent shockwaves through the party.

Biden stumbled over his words during the event and at times gave meandering answers, leading some Democrats to call for Biden to be replaced at the top of the ticket. 

Moore said that though Biden didn’t have a great night during the debate, his support for the president “has not waned one bit.”

“I know that this is not about a debate performance. It’s about a presidential performance,” Moore said.

Moore seized on a moment in the debate when former President Donald Trump, when speaking about illegal immigration into the country, commented, “They’re taking Black jobs now and they’re taking Hispanic jobs.”

Moore criticized Trump’s comments Saturday, arguing it provided a clear contrast for voters between Biden and Trump. Moore contended Biden’s administration has decreased the racial wealth gap by 60%, created more Black homeownership, created new pathways for entrepreneurship, and offered support for Black-owned businesses.

More: Was the fastest growth of Black-owned small businesses in 30 years under Biden?

“That’s the kind of economic support that the president is focusing on, and Donald Trump is talking about ‘Black jobs,’” Moore said. “This is a difference in the value system that these two people have.”

Moore’s visit to Wisconsin included a ’90s R&B cookout sponsored by the Black Coalition on Saturday at Milwaukee’s Carver Park. He also attended a Black men’s health roundtable in Madison and an office opening in Madison for the 48th Democratic field office in the state, alongside Gov. Tony Evers and party Chairman Ben Wikler.

Moore touted the Biden campaign’s Black Voters for Biden campaign that launched at the end of May to spotlight the administration’s efforts on behalf of underserved communities, specifically the allocation of $83 million to replace and repair contaminated lead pipes and reinvestment in infrastructure projects across the state.

The Black Voters for Biden leaders contrast the economic investments by Biden with projects like an unfulfilled Foxconn development deal that was negotiated during Trump’s presidency.

“The lack of consistency we heard from the other side, the lack of honesty that we heard from the other side, the lack of vision that we heard from the other side. That should give everyone pause,” Moore said.

Enthusiasm for Biden’s re-election in the Black community, a key constituency that helped lift him to the presidency in 2020, has become a big concern for Biden’s re-election campaign. Grassroots organizers in Milwaukee have cited hurdles in generating an energized turnout this year.

Republicans, who are staging their national convention in Milwaukee, next month, say they see an opportunity to spread a message that can resonate with Black voters in Milwaukee.

In 2020, the state GOP opened an office in the Harambee neighborhood, on the corner of East North Avenue and North King Drive, to boost outreach to Black voters in Milwaukee.

State GOP party chair Brian Schimming has told the Journal Sentinel polling shows Republicans could have a shot at winning over some Black voters.

Since 2020, the Democratic party has told voters that Joe Biden is the only candidate capable of beating former President Trump based on the president’s decades of public service experience and record voter turnout during the pandemic.

But, there is still work to be done to secure Wisconsin, a state where activist group Listen to Wisconsin rallied over 49,000 voters to cast an “uninstructed” ballot in April protesting the Biden administration’s military support of Israel.

Despite brewing discontentment with the president, Democrats like Moore hope voters set aside their frustrations to invest in the future of the party.

“Regardless of where you are on any one of these issues, we actually have a president who’s going to hear us and who’s going to incorporate that all that into the decision making,” Moore said. “I think if you look at, you know, the alternative, this is a binary choice.”

Eleven people were injured at Saturday’s Brewers game when an escalator malfunctioned at American Family Field in Milwaukee, leaving fans “plummeting” down.

Here’s what we know about what happened.

When did the escalator accident happen at the Brewers game?

The incident happened at the conclusion of today’s Brewers game against the Chicago Cubs. The game ended around 5:45 p.m.

How many people were injured in the escalator accident after the Brewers game at American Family Field?

11.

Six people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Five people were treated at the scene.

Reports on social media indicate that multiple ambulances were called to the stadium.

What have the Brewers said about the escalator accident?

The team issued a statement at 7:24 p.m. Saturday.

An escalator at the stadium moving fans from the Terrace to Loge Level “malfunctioned,” resulting in “an increased downward speed,” the team said.

Onsite physician and EMS were on the scene “immediately.”

“We are appreciative of their quick response,” the team wrote.

Where did the escalator malfunction happen?

The Terrace Level is the 400 section and the Loge is the 200s. It occurred on the escalator between sections 427-425, according to a witness that talked with the Journal Sentinel. That’s in the upper level and on the third base side.

Witness of escalator accident at the Brewers game: People were ‘plummeting down’

Kaylee Klein, who was at the game with her boyfriend and his family and friends, witnessed the frightening scene.

In an interview with the Journal Sentinel Saturday night, Klein said she went over to get on the escalator but it was “such a long line” and that at least 20 people were on it. That’s when they heard “a screeching sound.”

She said the escalator then picked up speed to about 10 to 15 miles per hour, she recalled to the Journal Sentinel.

“We just saw fans like just plummeting down basically,” Klein said.

Klein said someone then clicked the emergency stop button. After taking the stairs to the second floor, she saw people injured.

What was the attendance at Saturday’s Brewers game?

42,238

Brewers schedule

The Brewers wrap up their six-game homestand on Sunday for the series finale against the Cubs. After Sunday’s game they head out on the road for two series before returning to American Family Field on Tuesday, July 9.